LG LW650s TV: The Return of Passive 3D!

At the CES 2011 consumer technology show earlier this year, LG presented the new LW650s passive 3D TV, which will be available with a 42" (107 cm), 47" (119 cm) or 55" (140 cm) screen.

What's the difference between active 3D and passive 3D?

• Active technology: the 3D effect is created by sending a 1080-line image to each eye alternately. Active glasses work by directing each such image to the intended eye by alternately blocking the left and right lenses.

• Passive technology: here, both of the images used to create the 3D effect are contained in one overall image. However, the lines in the image are alternately directed to different eyes, i.e. the first line is intended for the right eye, the second for the left eye, and so on. Alternate lines on the screen are polarised differently. Passive glasses therefore use polarised lenses so that the right eye only see lines intended for the right eye and the left eye only sees lines intended for the left eye.

The advantage of passive technology is that the glasses are lighter, more comfortable and cheaper to manufacturer, as there are no internal electronics or built-in battery. However, image resolution is effectively halved (1920 x 540 pixels).

Tech Specs

Apart from passive 3D technology, this TV has an IPS panel with edge LED backlighting. It also has a wide range of functions, including DLNA 1.5 compatibility, web-connected services, 200 Hz motion interpolation technology and a multimedia player with USB connection.

The LG LW650s is provisionally slated for release in April but UK pricing is yet to be confirmed.

The good news is that the LG LW650s has just arrived in our test lab! We'll let you know as soon as the first test results are published in the face-off.

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